Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that is beyond our control and have to terminate a rental lease agreement early. In the present economic climate there will probably be an increasing number of renters needing to end their lease/ tenancy agreement early. It could be that laid off or underemployed renters will be seeking less expensive accommodation to survive the downturn in the economy. Some tenants may have found more suitable accommodations and others may be faced with the prospect of becoming homeless due to the economic downturn. Tenants may have to relocate for a new job. It may be that they want to move because of NOISY TENANTS or ‘harassment by a tenant’ and the fact that the landlord is not taking their complaints seriously. Check Municipal Licensing & Standards (Chapter 591 Noise Bylaw) for more detailed information on noise violation.

A tenant may also be concerned about safety and security in their building if they have been a victim of robbery, burglary or break-in and the landlord has not responded adequately. Or there may be existing tensions or conflicts due to other violations of the RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT such as malfunctioning utilities and outstanding major repairs, or Cockroach and bed bug infestation that the landlord ignores. There violations can make your unit uninhabitable. Naturally tenants would want out of their lease/tenancy agreement as soon as possible. There could also be any number of personal (more…)

One article I came across when reading up on bed bugs for this blog emphasized that bed bugs don’t distinguish between people based on income or class.

What is a significant difference, however, between the experiences the rich and those of us of more modest means have with bed bug infestation is the kind of pest control we are able to afford.

The article underscored that effective bed bug eradication means going beyond the spraying of pesticides. It insisted that physical methods such as vacuuming and steam cleaning must also be used, because bed bugs can often smell/sense chemical sprays and instead of killing them pesticide treatment may simply disperse them further into your living space.

However, employing a pest control company that will provide the full, labour-intensive treatment, is expensive – above the means of many tenants and not the first choice of landlords looking to keep cut costs.

What to do?

Some thoughts – please let us know your own…

Ask questions – of the landlord, of the pest control company. Make your position clear. If possible, you want to avoid making the situation worse.

If you can only afford bare-bones pest control or that is all the landlord will pay for, can you take on the necessary vacuuming and steam-cleaning yourself?

Bed bugs appear to be a growing problem in Toronto, and yes, in our beloved East York, too.

Toronto Public Health notes an increase in calls about bed bugs: 800 calls between January and May 2007 compared to 197 calls in 2005.

Pest control companies have also recorded an increase in the number of bed bug cases they encounter. Their anecdotal evidence seems to point to the bed bug problem only starting to impact Toronto in the late 1990s.

Bed bugs don’t ask whether their human prey are renters or owners, living in an apartment or house, but the infestations can be harder on tenants than on other residents.

The proximity of living spaces in an apartment building or shared house can make it more likely for bed bugs to spread from one unit to another. On top of this,renters may get little response from their landlordwhen they raise the issue of bedbugs and many just cannot afford to buy new clothing or furniture to replace ones infested with the bugs or to move to get away from bed bug infestations.

Witness the case of Megan, an East York tenant:

‘Megan Basten and her boyfriend had been scratching what they thought were mosquito bites for at least a week before they (more…)